There's just so much to say about my latest trip to the Philippines. In this new blog post, I will share the main places to visit on the island of Siargao itself. It is quite a big island, and there is a lot to experience, starting with restaurants, resorts, surf spots, beaches...

Magpupungko

Clearly one of my fave spots on the island! Rent a motorcycle and drive all the way North past Pilar. You will then turn right on a little path, and park just before the beach entrance. There is an entrance fee of PHP50 per person + a PHP20 parking fee per vehicle to get access to the beach.

Magpupungko beach is absolutely gorgeous, but people go there for its tidal pools. Indeed, the beach being very shallow on a long distance, a pool was carved naturally in the rock formation on the left side of the beach. To access it, first you need to make sure you go during low tide (check your weather app that day, or ask your hotel staff). Then you'll have to walk up and down the rocks on the left side of the beach. I would recommend not bringing a lot of stuff with you - you can't leave your stuff by the "pool" and keep an eye on it as it's constantly wet. My boyfriend and I decided not to swim in the pools since there was already a lot of people there, and we did not feel confortable leaving all of our stuff up the cliff (we had the drone with us). If we could do it all over, we would go earlier to avoid the crowd, and would definitely swim and do some cliff jumping.

Instead, we went to the (empty) beach, and flew the drone over the pools ;)

*Tip: if you're like me and usually don't have any data while traveling abroad, but you need a GPS - I suggest using the Google Maps app and load your itinerary while you're still connected to wi-fi. Once you start driving, the GPS will still localize you, and you'll see yourself moving on the map.

General Luna

This is THE place to be when visiting Siargao. All the main resorts and surf spots are located along the coast near General Luna. It's also where it's happening, meaning you'll find plenty of restaurants and bars. Here's a list of the top places I tried while in General Luna:

1. Kermit Restaurant: one of the best pizza I've ever had! This place (like most restaurants in General Luna) is also a hostel, and has its own surf club: Gwapitos. They sell some pretty cool clothes and accessories. Lastly they have Happy Hour every day, which means you get two drinks for the price of one ;)

2. Shaka: the best smoothie bowls on the island! It's a small joint in Cloud 9, and opens at 6AM. It gets crowded pretty quickly, but it's worth waiting, people are usually not there for a long time.

3. Kalinaw Restaurant: one of the fancy restaurant on the island. We went there for Valentine's Day to enjoy some French food, it was a bit pricey compared to other places, but service was impeccable, and food was delicious.

4. Bravo Restaurant: a Spanish inspired restaurant with an amazing vibe. It gets super packed, so we ate at the bar :)

5. Ocean101 Hotel & Restaurant: this place is good for many reasons. It is mainly a hotel, but you can book a cheap one with an amazing ocean view. The restaurant serves cheap delicious food that you can eat by the ocean, and the sunset there is simply stunning!

6. Isla Cabana Beach Restaurant: definitely worth going there to get cocktail and drink by their amazing pool!

7. Harana Surf Resort: a surfers spots with some chill vibes, hammocks, and filipino inspired food.

Cloud 9

This is the island's famous surf spot with surfers coming from all over the world. It is super fun to go to during sunset, and watch them in action. The waves break a bit far from shore, so they built a long boardwalk + pier to give an easier access to waves. The spot is surrounded by some restaurants, gift shops, and hostels. You should definitely check it out, it is just outside of General Luna, and there are some nice photos spots along the road.

Malinao

Malinao is a small village South West of General Luna (10-15 min ride) and the reasons why I suggest visiting it are: first, because the route between the two towns is pretty, but also because Malinao is where are located two gorgeous luxury resorts: Bayud Boutique Resort & Dedon Island Resort. Indeed, one nice activity to do while you're in Siargao is to try the different resorts on the island. Typically, even though you are not a hotel guest, they will let you have access to their facilities as long as you buy stuff (eg. eat at their restaurant or buy drinks). The two resorts mentioned above are located at the tip of a little peninsula and are pretty remote, the landscape is gorgeous. We went there in the middle of a tropical storm, between two rain showers; there was something charming about it and we were all alone.

Sugba Lagoon

This lagoon is not far from Del Carmen airport, which makes it pretty far from General Luna. You can either decide to drive there, or hire a van to drive you there. Some hotels / travel companies also arrange day-trips to the lagoon. Unfortunately, the lagoon was closed for 2 weeks during our stay due to maintenance and environmental protection so we couldn't see it :-(

Instead we booked an excursion to another island to see a similar lagoon.

All the details in the next blog post!